Tips

Dog PTSD is real!

If you have a dog from known abuse or unknown origins, make sure you pay attention to it’s behavior. Do certain noises trigger her? Is he a nervous eater? Are toys an unknown or a threat? Do unexpected movements or changes stress your dog out? These are just some of the symptoms of Dog PTSD. Below are a few of the ways I have found help with specific symptoms of PTSD.

• NERVOUS EATER: I had a former bait dog that was a very nervous eater. If anything in the feeding routine changed, she wouldn’t eat. Even if nothing changed but she was feeling nervous, she wouldn’t eat. HOW I FIXED IT: I noticed she would constantly look over her shoulder while eating and started thinking about soldiers with PTSD that like to sit with their back to the wall. I moved her bowl out far enough that she could get between the wall and her bowl and see out into the room. SUCCESS! It worked! She would eat her food comfortably and consistently. No more dinner paranoia!
• TOYS: THE UNKNOWN: The same former bait dog had no idea what a toy was or what to do with it. This didn’t change her whole life. She did get to the point that she would snuggle a stuffy, but not play with it. HOW TO PLAY: Use your hands. Keep them visible with palms up and fingers splayed. Make happy noises and assure him it is ok. Start slowly using the “poke” game randomly tapping in a different spot to get her to interact. KNOW YOUR DOG. Don’t go over top their head if that makes them nervous, go slow and stay aware of their body language.
• SCARED OF THE WORLD: Is your baby having a hard time with the world? Plastic bags, company, TV noises, fireworks in the neighborhood all bad things? CREATE A WTF SPOT: Watch your dog, they will show you where they feel comfortable and soothed. For bait-dog Justice, this was a corner in my living room that was blocked in by furniture and walls. One way in/out. I piled it with dog beds and called it her WTF spot. When the world was just too much, this is where she would go to decompress.
• NIPPY WITH STRANGERS: My former fighter/breeder Liberty was prone to nipping men that she was meeting for the first time when in the house. A few took their hits for me to learn how to introduce her to new people (for her it was always men) visiting our home. WHAT WORKED FOR ME: Liberty was most dangerous around the front door. When I had someone visiting, I would restrain her until they could get fully in the house and sat down. This seemed to make them less threatening to her and she would simply sniff and walk away. Tried the No Talk, No Touch, No Eye-contact….she was having none of that. She was also a sneaky biter, no barking/growling, approached with head down and tail wagging.

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General tips that no one tells you!

• DITCH THOSE LONG LEASHES: I will try to make this clear without sounding like I’m raging. Your dog should NEVER be more than 6 feet from you when not in a fenced in environment! But, you say, “he’s such a good boy and loves people and other dogs”!! SO? What if those people are afraid of dogs? What if that other dog feels threatened or feels your dog is threatening their human? You have ZERO control of a dog that is 10, 15, 30 feet from you. You also have ZERO reaction time to assess and correct a potentially bad situation. Personally, my dogs are on traffic leads when they are on leash. This includes the vets office! I cannot tell you how many times little Napoleon syndrome dogs have been allowed to aggressively approach my MUCH BIGGER dogs by irresponsible owners using extendable leashes. I would like to see those completely banned, burned, destroyed. Keep your pet WITH YOU.
• DOWN CANNOT MEAN EVERYTHING: I have seen people use DOWN for sit, lay, get down, don’t jump etc. Dogs want to please you but you need to be clear! Assign different words to each desired action and be consistent. Try Off=get down Sit=sit down Lay=lay down.
• CLICKERS ARE A WASTE OF MONEY: Snap your fingers instead. Getting your dogs attention prior to giving a command is crucial BUT you can easily do that with the snap of your fingers and not have to remember to carry something around. Be Consistent! Use the snap prior to giving a command every time to ensure you have your dogs attention!
• SLOPPY EATERS: We cook our own dog food. Since it’s soft food, my kids seem to be able to slop it everywhere! I used some decorative peel and stick vinyl behind their bowls to create a wipeable backsplash for my slobs!
• FLEX THE ROUTINE: This may sound counter-intuitive but it’s important. Here’s what I mean: We feed our dogs at 7am and 7pm. About once a week on a different day we stretch it to 7:30 and 7:30. Otherwise their internal clocks make them demanding insufferable brats twice a day!

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